Schedule

Write the Docs is more than a conference. Each year we organize a wide range of events so that people can come together, collaborate, and learn from each other in different ways.

Saturday, May 16th

The only event scheduled on Saturday is the annual hike to Pittock Mansion. If you get into town early, join us on the hike and take the chance to explore Portland in all of its glory.

2 PM Pittock Mansion Hike

Sunday, May 17th

During the day, we’ll hold our Writing Day documentation sprints, followed by the conference reception in the evening.

The base of operations for all our events on Sunday is CENTRL Office, located at 1355 NW Everett St. Head there at any point during the day to pick up your badge, and take the opportunity to work on some documentation at the sprints.

We encourage everyone to drop by on Sunday evening for the conference reception. You’ll have a chance to get acquainted with each other over some drinks and snacks. We’ll also help groups organize dinner plans, so you can continue your conversations over more substantial food as well.

9 AM Writing Day documentation sprints begin at CENTRL Office
12:30 PM Break for lunch
6 PM Sprints end, Reception begins. Keep working, or start chatting!
9 PM Reception ends

Monday, May 18th - Day 1

Sponsored by the wonderful folks at WordPress.com.

This is the main event! Hear from lots of interesting folks about all things documentation. Check out the full abstracts for more information.

The talks will take place at the Crystal Ballroom located at 1332 W Burnside St.

Main Stage

8 AM Doors Open, Breakfast Served
9 AM Introduction
9:15 AM Keynote - Marcia Johnston
10 AM Switch Speakers
10:10 AM Jody Bleyle & Arthur Louie - Writer, Meet Tester
10:40 AM Snack break
11 AM Matt Ness - Let’s Tell a Story: Scenario-Based Documentation
11:30 AM Switch Speakers
11:40 AM Kevin Burke - How to Write Documentation for People that Don't Read
12:10 PM Lunch
1:10 PM Lightning Talks
1:40 PM Switch Speakers
1:50 PM Gregory Koberger - A Developers Approach to Documentation: From Passive to Dynamic
2:20 PM Switch Speakers
2:30 PM Emily Hoffmann & Alfonso Roman - A brief history of math writing: symbol, structure, and proof
3 PM Snack break
3:30 PM Karen Ronning-Hall - The Science of Creating Unforgettable Content
3:45 PM Joao Fernandes - User-Story Driven Docs
4 PM Switch Speakers
4:10 PM Marya DeVoto - Designing Information for Growth
4:40 PM Switch Speakers
4:50 PM Christine Burwinkle - Tech writing in a continuous deployment world
5:20 PM Day 1 wraps up

Lola’s Room

Lola’s Room is open to attendees during the conference. Feel free to drop by to get some work done, take a break from the conference, or catch up with some familiar faces.

8 AM Room opens to attendees
1:50 PM Unconference begins
1:50 PM Journalism Sessions
2:30 PM Documentation and Open Source Software Sessions
3:00 PM Talk about the Keynote
3:30 PM General Sessions
5:50 PM Unconference wraps up

Monday Night - Party

Wind down and talk about the day’s talks in a relaxed and friendly environment.

7 PM Conference Party at TILT (1355 NW Everett St)

Tuesday, May 19th - Day 2

Sponsored by the wonderful folks at Atlassian.

The talks will take place at the Crystal Ballroom located at 1332 W Burnside St.

Main Stage

8 AM Doors Open, Breakfast Served
9:10 AM Announcements
9:15 AM Keynote - Ward Cunningham
10 AM Switch Speakers
10:10 AM Janet Swisher - Entry points and guide posts: Helping new contributors find their way
10:40 AM Snack break
11 AM Riona MacNamara - Documentation, Disrupted How Two Technical Writers Changed Google Engineering Culture, Built a Team, Made Powerful Friends, And Got Their Mojo Back
11:30 AM Switch Speakers
11:40 AM Tana Franko - Elevating the Hedgehog: Creativity in Tech Writing
12:10 PM Lunch
1:10 PM Lightning Talks
1:40 PM Switch Speakers
1:50 PM Mo Nishiyama - What Can Brownfield Do For You?
2:20 PM Switch Speakers
2:30 PM Garen Torikian - How GitHub uses GitHub to document GitHub
3 PM Snack break
3:30 PM Gaylin Walli - The Making of Writing Black Belts: How Martial Arts Philosophy Forged an Ad-Hoc Writing Team that Writes Great Docs
3:45 PM Mike Jang - Start Your Own Write the Docs Meetup Group
4 PM Switch Speakers
4:10 PM Torrey Podmajersky - Keep 'em playing
4:40 PM Switch Speakers
4:50 PM Heidi Waterhouse - Success is More Than Not Failing
5:20 PM Day 2 wraps up

Lola’s Room

8 AM Room opens to attendees
1:50 PM Unconference begins
1:50 PM User Experience Sessions
2:30 PM Tools Sessions
3:00 PM Talk about the Keynote
3:30 PM General Sessions
5:20 PM Unconference wraps up